why Earth
Science?

A sense of urgency

Human demands on basic earth resources (energy, water, metals,
air) and human impacts on the functioning of the global system (ecosystems,
climates, oceans) are unprecedented. We are acutely aware that our current
activities are compromising the prospects of future generations, more
than at any previous time in human history. To make the choices that will
effectively mitigate these pressures, we need a scientific capability
that we are yet to achieve. Earth scientists have the urgent responsibility
of developing a predictive understanding of the functioning of the whole
planet and defining its distribution of resources.

A sense of responsibility

Sustainability is the key moral issue of our time. How
are we to partition resources between the rich and the poor, between
the present and the future and between the neeeds of human society and
those of the environment? Moral issues have always been informed by
creation myths and the creation myths relevant to sustainability are
the grand stories of our planet - stories such as the Snowball Earth,
the Ediacaran explosion, the Ice Ages, El Nino. Earth scientists
have the special responsibility to tell these stories in a way that
empowers all people to address the key issues of sustainability.

A sense of the spiritual

We live on a planet of extrordinary beauty. Its intricate
landforms, minerals, oceans, climates and ecosystems provide the threads
connecting 4,500,000,000 years of planetary evolution. The story of
our planet is a profoundly uplifting story and one that has the potential
to root all people to the well-being of planet Earth. Earth scientists
provide a special perspective on this deeply spiritual story.